Improvement in windlasses



B; D. TH'AYER.

WINDLASS.

Patented June 20, 1876.

Ihr/611501" N. PETERS, PHDT0 LI'H'IOGRAPNERI WASHINGTON, D. C.

BARTON D. THAYEB,

PATE@ or New YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN WINDLASS'ES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,887, dated June 20, 1876; application filed May e, 187e. l

To all lwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BARTON D. THAYER, of New York city, in the State of New York, have invented certain Improvements relating to Windlasses for Ship use, of which the following is a specification I will describe the invention as applied with v the windlass operated by a vertical shaft,

turned by men working on a device like a cap- -stan on the deck above. It will be obvious, however, that such operating-shaft may, instead of being vertical, be horizontal, or variously inclined, and, instead of being turned by hand, may be operated by a steam-engine or other vsuitable power. I employ friction-couplings peculiarly applied, and controlled by handwheels, in connection with such operatingshaft, and with gearing connected therewith, for giving two different degrees of purchase or mechanical advantage, and also suitable means for forcibly drawing the wild-cats out of frictional contact.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, and represent what I con- Sider the best means for carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line S S. Figs. 3 and 4 represent a partwhich is capable of being detached, and is only used in turning theshaft, and steadied thereby, forming the fixed step for the upright shaft D, through which motion is received from the capstan E, through the force of men through capstanbars F. The overhanging ends of the shaft B receive small hollowed drums, to operate ropes in the ordinary manner. The novelty lies in the mechanism lying between and within the bearings or bits. The shaft D carries stout flxed wheels D1 D2, which, by means of loose pins d, serving as pawls, engage with peculiar ratchets in the tops of the loose bevelgear wheels Gl G2. The ratchets are so formed that they engage in opposite directions. When the shaft D is turned by themen in one direction the upper wheel Grl is effective, and the i pawl-pins d rattle idly over the ratchet in the lower wheel G2. So, when the shaft D is turned wise fixed firmly on the same shaft D. So far as yet described the mechanism is well known.

0n the outer face of each of the wheels lil H2 are cones h1 h2, adapted to engage frictionally wit-hin a corresponding cavity in `the adjacent face of a loose wild-cat or vsprocketwheel. These wheels are marked, respectively, M1 M2. They are free to move endwise a little on the shaft B, and are also free, except for the friction-coupling described,to turn-independently thereof. J1 J2 are hand-wheels, the centers or hubs of which are strongly-threaded nuts, fitting on corresponding threads on the shaft B. These hubs are provided with hooks j, each of which engages in a groove in the adjacent wild-cat.

When my windlass is operated the shaft D and the two wheels Hl H2, which are firmly fixed thereto, turn together. They turn always in the direction adapted to take in the (turning the hand-wheel J2 in the direction to force it against M2,) the latter is driven into such tight union with its conical bearing on H2 that it is compelled to turn therewith. Thus conditioned, the chain will be taken in;

but when it isdesired to pay out it is only draw it away by means of the hooks j. When the wild-cat is out of contact with its conical bearing it turns freely, and allows the chain to pay out.

Either wild-cat may be operated by its cor! responding hand wheel independently, and thus both chains may be taken in together, if there is power enough in the turning-force applied to the shaft D; or either may be taken in, and the other held by a cable-stopper, (not represented,) or otherwise.

'Ihe conical bearings, by which the wild-cats Ml M2 engage withthe gear-wheels H1 H2, may be tapered incre or less than is here shown. In the one' casethe force with which the parts will engage will be increased, and in the other case diminished. An increase in the frictional power involves `a necessity for drawing the hand-wheel farther away, in order to disengage it, and it is possible to make the force of the friction greater than is desirable.

I esteem it anV important advantagein the use of `my windlass that, by screwing up the hand-wheel to engage its corresponding friction-coupling with just suicient force, the cable may be taken in reliably under all ordi-` nary strains, but will yield a little to an extraordinary movement of the vessel by the slipping of the friction-coupling, andthusV a fracture of any part be avoided. Ordinarily, my improved windlass maybe said to have that advantage that it will yield and slip rather `than break when,in heaving short with the anchor fast in a rocky bottom, or under any other circumstances, the strain is greater than the anchor or connected parts can bear.

Provisions for different degrees of purchase corresponding to mine have been before applied in combination with other kinds of mechanism in windlasses. So, also, friction-couplings have been used, and friction-couplings controlled in a manner analogous to mine, by pressing the wild-cats endwise, have been used in windlasses; but 1 am not aware that 'my combination, or any other capable of attain-` ing the same useful ends, has been before known or proposed.

My entire combination forms a windlass that fulfills all requirements without putting in and `taking out block-keys, or necessitating any loss of time in making any changes in cases of emergency. any and all circumstances, to pay out chain instantly, which cannot be done by any other windlassknown to me.

I claim as my invention and desireto secure by Letters Patent- 1 The double-geared friction-windlass described, having one or more loose sprocketwheels or wild-cats coupled frietionallyto the main shaft B, in combination with the operating-shaft D, wheels Gril-G1, the corresponding wheels H1 H2, and `the hand-wheels J1 J2 and hook j, adapted to give different degrees of purchase. d

2. The `wild-cats` MI M2, coupled frictionally and controlled b y the hand-wheels JIJ2 and hook j, and `adapted to not only press the wheels into the desired frictional contactbut also to forcibly draw the wild-cats out ofcoutact, as and for the purposes herein specified,

In testimony whereof I have, hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\ BARTON D, 'IHAYERl Witnesses:

C. C. STE'rsoN, PHILLIrs ABBOTT.

My windlass is ready, underV 

